


Don't You Want Me

by Ninkasa



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-30
Updated: 2009-11-30
Packaged: 2017-10-04 00:55:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninkasa/pseuds/Ninkasa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reinette discovers karaoke</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't You Want Me

His mouth had gone somewhat dry when she walked into the room in that dress. It was not an entirely pleasant sensation and he had quickly turned away to keep from drawing attention to the fact. Rose had gotten that look that said she wanted to thwap him.

Reinette, at least, had seemed puzzled to death. She frowned and looked down at the dress, tugging on the hem, which only came halfway down her thighs. "It does not cover quite as much as I would like."

Or at all, but it was really, not the time to bring it up. Rose assured her that it was, in fact, the style of clothing on Earth in these days and it looked fine. Rose herself was clad in a dark blue gauzy top and a black miniskirt, so Reinette's clothing really did fit in.

Reinette's just seemed like. . .less. A black mini-dress with spaghetti straps and a neckline that plunged and a hemline that hiked. She seemed bemused by the heels she wore and the fact that Rose kept insisting that she didn't need something to cover her legs, it was supposed to look like that.

He was beginning to wish he had volunteered to stay home and keep Jackie company. Rose turned to him then, frowning as she watched Reinette toy with her hair and looking somewhat beseeching.

"Doctor, don't you think she looks nice?"

He cleared his throat. "Yes. Yes. It's lovely. We should go."

He was hoping there would be some disastrous event that would prevent them from making this outing.

*****

He was beginning to long for the discussions of her dress.

Reinette frowned at the stage and then turned back to look at him. "Why is that man singing so badly?"

They would happen to choose karaoke night as the night to come to this bar. And were the situation different, he would not be so concerned were he completely alone, he would be thrilled at being in this bar at this exact moment. Interacting with human beings and not worrying about what might be happening somewhere else in the universe.

But he had Rose and Reinette to keep an eye on and it was exhausting to watch them turn down drinks or accept them based on their mood. Apparently, attractive women were in short supply at the moment, as most of the men kept gravitating towards their table.

He needed to be drunker than he was.

The Doctor shook his head. She had asked him a question. "It's a sort of game. People go up on stage and try to sing the songs."

"What if you do not know the songs?"

Rose spoke up then. "There's a screen up there that tells you the words." She paused. "But people usually pick songs they already know." She reached out then to pick up the song list from a nearby table. She spread it out and leaned over so Reinette could read it. "See? It tells you what songs they've got and you can choose which ones."

"And it is alright for people to make fools of themselves when they cannot sing?"

The Doctor choked on a mouthful of rum. "That's sort of the point."

Reinette started slowly turning the pages. "I have heard of some of these. I have heard some of these on that. . .radio."

"They usually pick songs that people might know." The Doctor said, giving Rose a somewhat desperate look.

Rose stuck her tongue out. "You know the Wannabe, right?" she said. "We could sing that."

Reinette twisted a strand of hair around her finger and then seemed to realize she was doing it and stopped. "You would be willing to sing in front of these inebriated people?"

Rose laughed. "Well, not by myself. After a few more drinks I probably will be."

Reinette turned her head to look at him. "And you? How many drinks would it take you?"

None at all if the situation was correct, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

"Oh, thousands."

Reinette looked down at the list again. She smiled and pointed a finger at a song title. "I know that one."

The Doctor looked down at what she was pointing at. "You don't want to sing Little Red Corvette. I don't want to explain the meaning."

"I had to explain the meaning to you," Rose interrupted.

"Exactly."

Reinette pointed again. "This one, then."

"Oh, no. No Jonas Brothers. There's not enough alcohol in the world."

Reinette smiled the smile that usually got him pushed against fireplaces and talked into ballrooms. "How about this one?"

The Doctor frowned. "Oh. That one." He didn't see how she knew that one. The he said/she said techno song. The one about the cocktail waitress. "If you want to."

Reinette stood up. "Good. Come on." She held out her hand to him.

The Doctor started. "I beg your pardon?"

"It is a duet for a man and a woman. You are the closest I have." She paused. "Do you know the song?"

Well, he did. Ace had been terribly fond of it, but he wasn't sure he remembered all the words. "I've heard it."

"That will be close enough," Reinette said, tugging him to his feet.

He allowed her to tug him towards the stage, draining his glass as he did so.

*****

He had known, somewhere in the back of his mind, that she was a singer. One of those small historical facts that had gotten buried when he was around her everyday and she became who she now was. Some peculiar mix of the traits history proclaimed her to have and the traits he had molded her into.

It had just not occurred to him that her musical ability would extend to modern day pop songs as well as the French he knew she was brilliant at.

So, it was something of a shock when he finished the first verse and chorus and turned to her expectantly. He had been partially hoping that she would chicken out. He had been horrified to realize he not only remembered all the words, but he actually could follow the tune of the song. It had always been one of those that vaguely irritated him, although he'd never quite comprehended why.

He'd been hoping she would forget the words as well. He had thought she would at least make a mockery of the song the way he had done. He'd not expected her to belt it out as if she completely understood the meaning of the song, to fill it with such feeling that people who had not been paying attention turned to look at the stage.

". . .But even then I knew I'd find a much better place. . .Either with or without you. . .The five years we have had have been such good times. . .I still love you. . .But now I think its time I lived my life on my own. . .." She turned and grinned at him, but the smile turned into a frown. "Doctor. It is your turn."

Oh, shoot. He had forgotten. She was frowning harder now, as the music throbbed and pulsated and he just stood and stared at her for a moment.

He realized why he had never liked the song, now.

*****

They had sat in silence for over an hour now, any moment, the bartender or bouncer would by along to kick them out. Rose had fallen asleep an hour ago, her head resting in Reinette's lap.

Reinette's fingers were running absently through Rose's hair, alternately stroking and smoothing. The Doctor suspected she did not even realize she was doing it. She had probably done it for Alexandrine thousands of times.

She tipped her head to the side and smiled at him. "I am not going to go anywhere, you know. I did not choose it as a message or anything of the sort." She smiled. "I just thought the song was amusing."

He mirrored her smile, but the horrible sensation had settled into his stomach. He looked at her and then down at Rose and back.

"That's just it. No one ever plans to leave. But they always do. One way or another."

She smiled and reached out to squeeze his fingers.

"I will be the exception."

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a challenge.


End file.
